What to watch at the Japanese Grand Prix

This weekend brings us to one of my favorite races on the calendar, the Japanese Grand Prix at the fabled Suzuka Circuit, and it is all but certain that Sebastian Vettel secures his second world title in as many years at this race. All Vettel needs is a single point and the title is his; he can roll out of bed with a hangover from the pre-party he should be having for winning the title and get that needed point. So what else is there to look at for this race? There are a couple points of interest for me. One is the scrum between Button, Alonso and Webber and the other are the performances of Sauber, Renault and Mercedes.

The battle for the best of the rest is ultra close; Button, Alonso and Webber are separated by only three points with five races remaining. What are their motivations? Button will definitely have an emotional high of having been contractually secured for the near future by McLaren, Alonso has publicly indicated several times that second place in the championship is worth fighting for, and Webber is intent on winning a grand prix after watching his teammate in similar equipment blitz the field this season. Add to that, being at a circuit that many drivers consider to be their favorite and one of the more challenging should make it doubly fun for them and viewing public. 

In terms of Sauber, Renault and Mercedes, they are at different levels of the championship table so the interest lies in several other details. Both Sauber and Renault have admitted that they have made mistakes revolving around exhausts that have entombed them for the rest of season: Sauber expected the FIA to change the rules around exhausts and blown diffusers, which ultimately did not happen and Renault in the radical design choice of forward exiting exhausts (FEE). I want to see how these teams perform knowing that there is not much they can do to develop the cars while they are still engaged in a constructors fight with each other and Force India. Also, I want to see how Kamui Kobayashi and Bruno Senna perform. Kobayashi is at his home race so I will be interested in seeing how he bounces back after stumbling the last few races. Senna has admitted he feels that he is not fully up to speed after replacing Nick Heidfeld. So, it will be interesting to see how he goes at a real tough track while Renault continue their evaluation of him.  

In regards to Mercedes, they had issues with their exhausts and cooling but I am interested in the emotional level of the team. Do they receive an emotional boost from the very recent acquisitions of Aldo Costa and Geoff Willis as the drivers profess? Moreover, given that Ross Brawn and Norbert Haug have stated Suzuka should be more suited to the Mercedes package and that they are looking for similar performance to that of Spa and Monza, I will be interested in seeing if the drivers can deliver on that. Their performance at Spa and Monza was pretty good: two 5th place finishes for Schumacher, a 6th and retirement for Rosberg. Do they steal a podium? 

So, whether you are watching the front, the midfield or tail-enders, enjoy qualy and the race.

 

Brazilian Grand Prix: Points of Interest

This weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix is the season finale for what has been a spirited and competitive season. Below are this weekend's points of interest:

1. Hamilton v. Massa. This is the showdown everyone is here to see. Although Hamilton only needs a 5th place to win the championship, the old saying "to finish first, you first must finish" is still applicable. McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh has publicly admitted to fears about McLaren reliability given the gearbox problem that Hamilton had last year. With Massa being a race winner here and with all the motivation in the world he is a race favorite. He will need to win to maximize his title chances.

2. Kubica v. Raikkonen. Robert Kubica sits 3rd in the championship standings however is still under threat from Kimi Raikkonen who is only 6 points behind. Kubica can not coast in this race with Renault's pace as they would take points from him. For Raikkonen, finishing 3rd in the title fight would salvage what has been a very disappointing title defense year.

3. Wet Weather. Looking at the forecast, rain can play a factor in the title fight. Massa is not very good in the wet and Hamilton has shown to a be rain master. However, we have seen the best wet weather drivers throw their cars off the road. So by all means, there are guarantees that if it rains Hamilton's a lock for the title.

Enjoy the Grand Prix!

Chinese Grand Prix: Hamilton walks it

Lewis Hamilton took victory in the Chinese Grand Prix and made it look easy from start to finish. Hamilton put last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix behind him and silenced some of his critics for the moment; as he did not put away Felipe Massa. Massa finished 2nd after he simply was outpaced by Hamilton and a resurgent Kimi Raikkonen who let Massa by with the "non-team orders" orders as the race was in it's final stages. Nevertheless, Ferrari was no match for Hamilton and conceded that Hamilton was in a different league today. In addition to establishing a 7 point lead going into the final race of the season in Brazil, he exercised the demons that was last year's Chinese Grand Prix. Although his aggressive style can cost him at times, he is still developing as a driver and his racecraft will continue to improve with time. The possibilities seem scary. At the moment, he does not look flustered and he and the team are calm. They look poised to lock up the title in Brazil.

In terms of points of interest:

1. Alonso and Renault. Alonso and Nelson Piquet both scored points today. Given the pace of Hamilton, Alonso had no chance to win and conceded that 4th place was the best possible result and they achieved that result. As predicted Nelson Piquet's starting slot was not going to hinder him in terms of getting some points. He is looking more comfortable and his recent performances may have gone a long way to help him keep his job.

2. Kubica. He did a fine job coming up through the field to finish 6th after a mess of a qualifying that him locked in to a not so ideal car set-up. The car got better as they got deeper into the race and after changing to the soft compound tires he got the performance he needed. He lost his shot to extend the title fight to Brazil, however he still needs to fend off a surging Kimi Raikkonen if he is to keep 3rd place in the World Championship. A wonderful achievement for Kubica if he can do it.

3. Kovalainen. He was running in the points in the non-descript way that has been the definition of his season. He has been outpaced by many of the front runners this season and has suffered from some back luck. Today's race was simply another example of Kovalainen's quiet race being turned to dust by some misfortune or error. He has been overhauled by Fernando Alonso by 2 points and has extended his race of non-points finishes by only taking points once in the last 5 races. I know this is his first year at McLaren and that he is a likable guy, but I have to chance course. What Hamilton has done in the McLaren should embarrass Kovalainen. He looks rather average and the fact that he has been overtaken by Alonso and now sits 7th in the points should cause McLaren to revisit this choice of driver. I wonder where is the criticism.

4. Race stewards. A pretty straight forward race with no major controversies. A relief.

Race Classification:

1. Hamilton

2. Massa

3. Raikkonen

4. Alonso

5. Heidfeld

6. Kubica

7. Glock

8. Piquet

9. Vettel

10. Coulthard

11. Barrichello

12. Nakajima

13. Bourdais

14. Webber

15. Rosberg

16. Button

17. Fisichella

Fastest lap: Hamilton, 1:36.325

Chinese Grand Prix: Hamilton on pole

Lewis Hamilton looks to all but clinch the World Championship by sticking his McLaren Mercedes on pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix. He is followed by the Ferraris of re-surging Kimi Raikkonen and title rival Felipe Massa. Renault's Fernando Alonso continues the team's good form and qualifies 4th.

This is how the points of interest are shaping up for the race:

1. Alonso and Renault: Alonso starts 4th and sounds confident for a strong race. It will be curious to see how much fuel Alonso is carrying as he is 6 tenths slower than Hamilton in Q3; although the Q2 difference is comparable. Nelson Piquet failed to deliver on his practice form but this is familiar starting territory for the Brazilian. So, his starting slot and car performance can easily have him in the points. With Head of Engine Track Operations, Denis Chevrier confirming Renault's performance from Fuji, prospects look very good. Maybe not a win, but Alonso over his career has had a knack of putting himself into a position to benefit from other drivers' errors.

2. Kubica. He may have ended his World Championship bid by having a poor qualifying session by starting 12th. A critical set-up change backfired. "I was struggling with the balance of the car all weekend. We made some changes before qualifying, but they had a negative effect. The car was difficult to drive and I couldn't push as I wanted. I expect a tough race because now we are not allowed to change the set-up." However, we saw Alonso all but quit on his chances in Singapore after a qualifying disaster and came back to win the race with some good fortune. Kubica will need to rely on good fortune for the race.

3. Kovalainen. Heikki starts 5th. Expect him to finish 5th or 6th. He seems happy with the performance but the race will judge. I will not except Kovalainen to take points from Ferrari this weekend. However, it is very important the Kovalainen do something drastic as the Constructor's title might slip through the fingers of McLaren.

4. Race Stewards. They have reared their heads by giving Heidfeld a 3 grid-place penalty for impeding Red Bull's David Coulthard in qualifying. It is interesting that earlier in the weekend Nick Heidfeld made comments regarding the current situation with race stewards, "the consistency (steward decisions) was a lot better last year, and it is easier than if there are just some guys who are coming to a few races. They don't have the insight compared to a guy who is always there." We will see if the stewards have an impact at the front of the grid.

Hamilton leads both practice sessions

Lewis Hamilton got his potentially decisive Chinese Grand Prix weekend off to an encouraging start by topping the first practice session in Shanghai. The McLaren driver's title rival Felipe Massa was second for Ferrari, but was 0.390 seconds slower than Hamilton, who could potentially wrap up the 2008 championship this weekend, but arrives at the circuit under pressure following the controversial incidents and penalties of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton remained on top in second practice for the Chinese Grand Prix, as his first quick time remained unbeaten all afternoon. His title rival Felipe Massa was only sixth fastest, with the two Renaults, Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Red Bull's Mark Webber splitting the championship rivals.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71448
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71455

Chinese Grand Prix: Points of Interest

We have two races left in the 2008 Formula One season and this weekend we have the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit. We have many potential story lines but these can not be ignored given the state of the title fight.

1. Fernando Alonso and Renault. Renault have been on a tear in recent races spearheaded by Fernando Alonso. Renault have amassed 35 points in the last 4 races; that total is more than Ferrari, McLaren and BMW during the same span. So, with the proven increase in performance, can Alonso make it 3 in a row?

2. Robert Kubica. He sits 3rd in the World Championship fight and sits 12 points behind championship leader Hamilton and 7 points behind Massa. Given the mistakes and penalties and squandering of points Kubica can gain alot of ground on these two. We saw it last year with Raikkonen.

3. Heikki Kovalainen. He is in one of the best cars and is in danger of being overhauled by Alonso in the championship standings. He sits in 6th and 3 points ahead of Alonso and has only scored points once in the last 4 races. He has been rather non-descript this season with 1 race win and 3 podiums. He needs to be a quality number 2 driver and take points away from Hamilton's rivals. He certainly has the car, but does he have the talent?

4. Race Stewards. This season, particularly in the last several races the stewards have had an impact on the results. Given the tight championship battle, a steward's decision can hand or take away the championship for a driver. So, the question for the Chinese Grand Prix is what role will the stewards play?

Japanese Grand Prix: Alonso leaves no doubt

Renault's Fernando Alonso wins the Japanese Grand Prix and leaves no doubt that he is the best and most complete driver in Formula One by taking his second straight win. He and his team certainly have recovered the swagger that made them double World Champions and this should cement Alonso's return to Renault. Hamilton, Massa and Raikkonen had races that were symptomatic of their seasons: Hamilton (perhaps too aggressive), Massa (choking in clutch situations), Raikkonen (simply going through the motions). Robert Kubica solidifies his hole on the 3rd in the title fight and now has put Massa under threat as he is only 6 points behind the Ferrari driver. Piquet has stayed off execution by driving to a 4th place finish.

In terms of points of interest there was absolutely nothing of interest:

1. Toyota. Trulli did what he had to do with the package Toyota has for him and finished 5th. However, it is clear that the Renault advantage is too great now and it looks like Renault can depend on Piquet to finish strongly.

2. Honda. Simply useless. Attrition assisted their 13th and 14th place finishes and Barrichello outdoes Button once again.

3. Kazuki Nakajima. He was left cruising around after getting into a tangle with Red Bull's David Coulthard.

Race Classification:

1. Alonso
2. Kubica
3. Raikkonen
4. Piquet
5. Trulli
6. Bourdais
7. Vettel
8. Massa
9. Webber
10. Heidfeld
11. Rosberg
12. Hamilton
13. Barrichello
14. Button
15. Nakajima

Fastest lap: Massa, 1:18.426

Japanese Grand Prix: Hamilton on pole

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton scores pole position for this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. He is looking ready to put the title out of reach of Ferrari's Felipe Massa. Massa could only manage 5th and certainly has made it difficult for himself as Alonso, Raikkonen and Kovalainen out qualified him. So, he will have to do a lot of work if he is to keep pace Hamilton given that Massa's comments and the season's general trend leads me to conclude that he has less fuel than his rivals with Alonso being the possible exception.

In terms of points of interest:

1. Toyota. There is nothing inparticular about their qualifying performance. In the last 4 races Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock have averaged starting slots of 9th and 10th respectively. The will be starting 7th and 8th. With Renault's Nelson Piquet having a dismal qualifying session, it is imparative for both Toyota's to score points if they are to keep pace or make up ground on Renault. They are only 5 points behind them in the Constructor's title.

2. Honda. If qualifying is any indication, they will do very poorly in front of the home Japanese crowd. Button says he is struggling with the car, but I suspect that he simply could care less and is resigned to the idea if it is not raining, what the point of us being out here. Button qualified 18th. Barrichello has been more positive but not by much. He qualified 17th. They will be looking for rain.

3. Kazuki Nakajima. He has outqualified his Williams teammate Nico Rosberg in front of his home crowd which should give him an emotional boost since this is only the 4th time this season he has outqualified Rosebrg. With Rosberg openly admitting that Nakajima has been quicker than him this weekend, it bodes well for Nakajima but not for the team as a whole for it will be very difficult for them to score points. Just as Honda, Williams will be looking for rain; they start 14th and 15th.

Hamilton and shock Glock top Friday practices

"McLaren's Lewis Hamilton led the way at the end of a quiet first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. In dry and sunny conditions at Fuji, Hamilton beat title rival Felipe Massa (Ferrari) to first position by 0.153 seconds, with their respective teammates Heikki Kovalainen and Kimi Raikkonen completing the top four.

In session 2, Timo Glock gave circuit owners Toyota a boost by setting a surprise fastest time. In another totally dry session, Glock's early 1:18.383 lap remained unbeaten in the latter part of the afternoon despite the bigger names' best efforts."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71254
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71257

Japanese Grand Prix: Points of Interest

We are winding down the Formula One season and the championship is still up for grabs. Lewis Hamilton has a 7 point lead with 3 races to go, but given the unpredictability of last year's Japanese Grand Prix, Felipe Massa can pounce on any mistake. We are back to the reconfigured Fuji Speedway and in addition to observing this title fight, the points of interest for this race will have a distinct Japanese flair.

1. Toyota. Can they rebound in terms of their performance on home turf? They currently sit 5th in the Constructor's Championship behind an improved Renault. They will need quality drives from Trulli and Glock after not scoring any points as a team in 2 of the last 3 races.

2. Honda. Will Honda be able to save face and perform respectably? After shifting focus to the 2009 season they seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth and have not scored a point since the British Grand Prix. Button had a decent performance in Singapore, so Honda has a small opportunity to show some pride.

3. Kazuki Nakajima. When Takuma Sato drove for Honda and Super Aguri you could count that he would have a good race at his home track in Suzuka. After being confirmed for 2009, can Nakajima perform well in his home grand prix and represent Toyota given that he has a relationship with them. Also, it's Toyota's home track.

Fuji Speedway: It's been 'Tilked', but it's worthy

Fuji Speedway has played host to Formula One in 1976 and 1977. It did not return to the Formula One calendar until 2007 after it replaced the awesome Suzuka circuit as the home of the Japanese Grand Prix. Although the current GP circuit layout is bland in comparison to its super fast and dangerous younger days, the track is still a worthy challenge to Formula One drivers and sits in the picturesque foothills of Mount Fuji.

Just as the Suzuka circuit, if you have played the video game Pole Position, you know the old Fuji circuit very well as it is the first circuit to be featured in a video game. The circuit has been owed by Toyota since 2000, but interestingly it started life in 1963 as Japan NASCAR Corporation. The circuit was originally intended to be a 2.5 mile high-banked superspeedway in the mold of Daytona and Monza but there was not enough money to complete the project and only one of the dramatic high banks was ever built. Similarly to Monza, the remains of the banking is still visible. In 1965 under new management the Fuji circuit was converted to a road course and began to hold races. Fuji proved to be somewhat dangerous with the banked turn regularly resulting in major accidents. A new section of track was built that bypassed the high banking which provided improved safety; although the circuit was still very fast.

The 2 Formula One races staged at Fuji prior to 2007 proved to be dramatic and tragic. In 1976, James Hunt beat Niki Lauda to the title after Lauda withdrew due to dangerous rainy conditions and in 1977 2 spectators were killed during the race when Gilles Villeneuve crashed. Formula One returned to this scenic venue for the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix and it continues to pose many a technical challenge although its speeds are no longer what they could be on the old circuit.

In a phrase, it has been "Tilked". In other words, the circuit was reconfigured by German architect Hermann Tilke whose general style of circuit re-design has drawn many criticisms ranging from neutering great tracks like Hockenheim to designing glorified karting circuits like Bahrain. There are plenty of people that would consider the current Fuji layout to be one of those instances of a circuit being neutered, especially in light of some of Tilke's recent designs in Istanbul and Valencia.

In its current layout, Fuji is a mix of slow corners with the ever inviting super long main straight where cars will top out around 200mph. Although drivers will be full throttle for only 53% of the lap, it is be a test of reliability given the extremes that the engine will face in the rev range from the afore mentioned long straight to the complex of hairpins and chicanes.

Given the location of the track, weather is always a factor and should be on the teams' minds especially given the championship implications. This old circuit even with its modern face lift, will still provide quality racing.

Singapore Grand Prix: Alonso wins masterfully!

Renault's Fernando Alonso took his first win of the season and he took it giving the field a master class in driving and racecraft. The rain that was discussed all week never materialized and did not add any crazy surprises. After all seemed lost after a mechanical failure in qualifying and Alonso vocalizing his frustrations they rebounded in a way that reminded of their abilities that brought them titles in 2005 and 2006. Renault demonstrated the pace all weekend and have struck on a combination that is working very well for them at the moment. Moreover, Renault made some very aggressive strategy decisions, again reminiscent of their championship years. One of the things that was missing from Renault was their confidence. I would say with this win, they have gotten it back and may have gotten their double world champion driver to stay for 2009 in the process.

Felipe Massa had a disaster of the race in a pressure situation. Raikkonen crashed out after an average performance. It appears that the entire team is feeling the pressure and not giving Massa the support. The fact he was released into the pit lane and got penalized may have cost him the title. The problem with their automated pit release lights should have been solved as it was a problem at the European Grand Prix. Although he was not penalized at Valencia for being released too early in the pit lane, he was penalized here. I am very doubtful Ross Brawn would have allowed such errors.

In terms of points of interest:

1. Sebastien Bourdias. It was a complete waste again for Bourdais. The inconsistent performance and poor luck has hurt his ability to capitalize on the speed of the ToroRosso package. He finished 12th.

2. Attrition. Although the rain did not materialize, there were the expected crashes and reliability issues given the nature of street circuits. There were two safety car periods that helped Alonso but by no means was the reason for his win. However, there was an impact on the championship. Raikkonen with his crash has really made it difficult for himself in challenging Robert Kubica for 3rd in the title chase. Webber's problems certain does not help Red Bull's chances of beating their junior team Toro Rosso.

3. Heikki Kovalainen. Simply he failed in his bid to step up his performance which is a real disappointment. For a man driving a car the caliber of McLaren he has to extract more performance from the car. Yes, he has a win this season and its his first year at McLaren but I think Takuma Sato can get similar if not better results in that McLaren. Kovalainen finished 10th.

Notable performances are the Williams duo, Rosberg and Nakajima. They were having an excellent weekend and they followed through by having a great race. Both cars scored points today with Rosberg getting a career best 2nd place finish. Also, Toyota's Timo Glock drove quietly and impeccably to finish 4th.

Final Classification

1. Alonso

2. Rosberg

3. Hamilton

4. Glock

5. Vettel

6. Heidfeld

7. Coulthard

8. Nakajima

9. Button

10. Kovalainen

11. Kubica

12. Bourdais

13. Massa

14. Fisichella

15. Raikkonen

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:45.599

Singapore Grand Prix: Massa snatches pole position

On this historic Grand Prix weekend, Felipe Massa captures pole position for tomorrow's Singapore Grand Prix with a lap of 1:44.801. Massa clearly has assumed the role of team leader in terms of the championship battle and in terms of speed. Massa has placed himself in an ideal position and we will see if Kimi Raikkonen will give Massa a helping hand in terms of dealing with Lewis Hamilton. With Raikkonen qualifying 3rd, right behind Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari can employ some very interesting team strategy particularly if he can get past Hamilton on the open laps.

In terms of points of interest:


1. Sebastien Bourdais. He is not able to buy a break with a car that clearly has some pace. He could not get out of Q1 and has not done well on street circuits this year. Traditionally this circuit type has been his strong suit given the number of races and experience he had while in the Champcar World Series.


2. Attrition. We have seen some reliability and crashes without the much talked about rain. In qualifying we saw Fisichella hit the wall and we saw Alonso's car quit on him with a fuel pressure problem, which was a shame as he had a very strong weekend up to this point. He could have had a top 4 start given the pace he was showing.


3. Kovalainen. After showing some strength, he has continued his solid but non-descript performances in a car that clearly has plenty of speed. We will see how he fairs in the race and if he is heavy on fuel. He was only 13th in Saturday's final practice, so perhaps he was working on heavy fuel loads. He managed to qualify 5th.

Notable performances: Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima of Williams. Traditionally Williams' cars have had very good mechanical grip. Hence, they generally perform well on street circuits where aerodynamics is not so prevalent. So here at Marina Bay circuit, the Williams duo has been strong all weekend and have qualified for the race in 9th and 10th respectively.

Hamilton and Alonso top historic practice sessions

Lewis Hamilton (1:45.518) emerged fastest for McLaren in the historic first practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix, as Formula One cars took to the track under floodlights for the first time ever. The Ferraris took second and third, with Felipe Massa just 0.080 seconds behind Hamilton and four tenths of a second ahead of teammate Kimi Raikkonen. Heikki Kovalainen completed the top four in the second McLaren, followed by BMW's Robert Kubica.

In session 2, Renault's Fernando Alonso topped the time sheets. The Renault driver outpaced the McLaren by 0.098 seconds, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa and McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen third and fourth, and Nico Rosberg impressing again for Williams in fifth. Hamilton was quickest for the majority of the session, swiftly moving ahead of early pacesetter Rosberg and then chipping away at his time for the next hour and steadily edging further ahead. Until Alonso's late lap, it looked like Hamilton was set to remain on top. But the Renault produced a 1:45.654 just before the chequered flag, after a spectacular lap on the super-soft tires.

Source: Autosport.com

Singapore hit by storm, more rain expected

Last night, Singapore was hit with a heavy tropical storm as heavy rain lashed the city state for more than six hours. Further downpours are expected thoughtout the remainder of the weekend which could make life for the drivers more difficult during the first ever night race in the history of Formula One.

Source: F1 Technical

Singapore Grand Prix: Points of Interest

This weekend brings us the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Circuit. It is the first grand prix in Singapore and the first ever Formula One race at night. Here are the things I will be looking at this weekend:

1. Sebastien Bourdais. Now that we have confirmed the pace of Toro Rosso, I will be looking to see if Sebastien Bourdais can translate the car's speed into actual results. He has been a victim of some bad luck and some reliability issues. Nevertheless, given his experience on street circuits during his time in Champcar, Bourdais should perform well. I expect a points finish.

2. Attrition. Given we are at a new street circuit and the night conditions will be very unfamiliar to many of the drivers and given that there is a chance for rain, it will be interesting to see how many cars finish the race. I think there will be several safety car periods.

3. Heikki Kovalainen. Kovalainen has made a respectable transition to the McLaren team but one of the areas that seems to have dogged him is his performance on street circuits. His best finish this year on street circuits is 4th, which ties his career best finish on street circuits (Canada). So, I will be interested to see if he can raise his game on street circuits. Given now it is later in the season, he is more experienced and his car is arguable the best on the grid, Kovalainen needs to step up and least get a podium finish.

Bring on Friday practice!

McLaren Belgian GP Appeal Denied

As was to be expected, the FIA has rejected McLaren's appeal against the penalty imposed on Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The grounds for rejecting the appeal was that the appeal itself was inadmissible. This was going to be the initial
stumbling block for McLaren. There were questions on whether teams can actually appeal drive-through penalties - which technically was the punishment Hamilton received that took away his win. It was turned into a 25-second penalty because it was served in the final five laps of the race. So, it appears that they can not.

At least we can say that the process went quickly and we can focus on the remaining races knowing that a decision has been made and that the Singapore Grand Prix can be the major focus. Nevertheless, I still think McLaren and Hamilton had the victory taken away unjustly, but I knew the appeal was going to be for nothing...and it was. Bring on Singapore.

http://formulaoneamerica.blogspot.com/2008/09/hamilton-was-robbed-but-massa-will-win.html

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/70792

Italian Grand Prix: Vettel Wins Historic Race

In a very wet and historic Italian Grand Prix we saw Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel take the win in dominant fashion. It was his first win, it was Toro Rosso's first win, and he became the youngest Grand Prix winner in history breaking Fernando Alonso's record. Earlier in the weekend Vettel also became the youngest driver to sit on pole position.

The race started under the safety car but quickly peeled off to allow the real racing to begin. We saw Vettel's fine skills in wet conditions and was left unchallenged by any of the other drivers. Lewis Hamilton finished 7th but demonstrated wet weather driving skills reminiscent of the late Ayrton Senna. Hamilton's chief rival, Felipe Massa finished 6th and did nothing to ruin his title chances in variable conditions, which is not his strength. The title chase narrows to just a single point with the appeal of the Belgian Grand Prix penalty against Hamilton looming in the background.



In terms of points of interest:


1. Speed differential. It is difficult to assess given the wet conditions but Ferrari power was strongly represented in the speed traps. However, to see the Red Bull Renault in the speed traps with an engine that everyone admits is down on power, we know the chassis has a very good aerodynamic package. As we can see with the Toro Rosso team who share a similar chassis to Red Bull, the benefits of engine power in this engine freeze period is critical.


2. Renault. Renault and Fernando Alonso seemed rather bleak about their chances. Their muted optimism was that there was rain for the race. It has be rather frustrating that they are not making the development gains necessary to challenge consistently at the front and to see Toro Rosso go from a tail ender to the front of grid in the course of one season, which is near impossible. Nevertheless, Alonso and Nelson Piquet made good with the situation and have maintained an upward performance curve. Alonso was one of the first to go to the standard wet tire from the extreme wets and benefited from the strategy choice. Piquet performed well although he had a few moments and both had 1 stop strategies. They finished 4th and 10th respectively.


3. Nick Heidfeld. BMW seem to have lost there way or have extracted what they can out of the F1.08 chassis. Moreover, Heidfeld looks like he has extracted as much as he can out of himself. With BMW openly waiting for Alonso to make a decision about a future drive, Heidfeld is not doing enough to save his job.


Other drives worth noting are Williams' Nico Rosberg and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. After a good first portion of the race, Rosberg fell off the face of the earth. He encountered a fuel rig problem and never seemed to recover. He finished behind his teammate Nakajima who finished 12th. At this point, Rosberg (14th) is too inconsistent for my taste. Raikkonen's race was just bad. He languished in the midfield the entire race. Although he came on at the end to set the fastest lap of race, I think it is a question of motivation and the new extension will not help matters. He finished 9th.

Results:

1. Vettel
2. Kovalainen
3. Kubica
4. Alonso
5. Heidfeld
6. Massa
7. Hamilton
8. Webber
9. Raikkonen
10. Piquet
11. Glock
12. Nakajima
13. Trulli
14. Rosberg
15. Button
16. Coulthard
17. Barrichello
18. Bourdais
19. Sutil

Fastest Lap: Raikkonen, 1:28.047

Vettel has snatched pole position!

Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel has literally stormed his way to his and Toro Rosso's first pole position for tomorrow Italian Grand Prix. Not only has Toro Rosso and Vettel on pole, but Sebastien Bourdais will start on the second row!

As mentioned during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Tthey have confirmed that their package is for real. The chassis is good and Ferrari power has given them an edge that should help them in the final races of the season, as now they are in a position to challenge for 6th in the Constructor's Title. Is it possible that they can win a race this season? Will they continue on with the huge uptick in pace in the remaining races?

Sutil leads in wet session, Raikkonen back on top

Quoted and edited from Autosport.com

Force India driver Adrian Sutil led in a very wet opening practice of the Italian Grand Prix. Rain fell for most of the morning at an extremely gloomy Monza, with the track damp initially and only a handful of teams choosing to go out before further showers prevented quick times being set. Although the precipitation did stop briefly, the track had no chance to dry before a massive downpour began in the final 20 minutes, convincing all those who had ventured out for some wet practice to return to shelter in the pits - although even the garage floors started getting damp as the pitlane drains overflowed. The session was ultimately officially red-flagged with four minutes remaining due to the severity of the rain, although by that point no-one had attempted to leave the pits for nearly a quarter of an hour.

The reigning champion, Kimi Raikkonen beat the BMWs of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld to the top spot, with points leader Lewis Hamilton taking fourth for McLaren in the 2nd Session of Friday practice. Practice began on a damp track, but unlike the first session, this time conditions steadily improved. Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais was the first man to switch to slick tires after 20 minutes, and although at first he was five seconds off the pace, within six laps he was matching and then beating early pacesetter Raikkonen.

BMW-Sauber's Robert Kubica led the way until the final flurry of soft tire runs, when Raikkonen returned to the front with a 1:23.861, 0.07 seconds quicker than Kubica. With none of the other front-runners improved on their final flying laps, Raikkonen remained on top until the end, ahead of the BMWs, Hamilton and Williams' Nico Rosberg.

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